KYIV, March 28 – Ukraine’s relations with the European Union may come under pressure within days as the country has failed to implement a key anti-corruption measure that had been promised by the authorities.

President Petro Poroshenko and his government last year vowed to eliminate obstacles imposed on activists fighting corruption by repealing a requirement for them to submit asset declarations.

The repeal must have taken place before April 1, but it has become clear on Wednesday that it will not happen by the deadline.

“The Ukrainian authorities have not lived up to their commitment,” Johannes Hahn, the commissioner on European Neighborhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, said in a statement Wednesday.

“The failure to repeal is contrary to Ukraine's European aspirations,” Hahn said.

Parliamentary Speaker Andriy Parubiy said Wednesday lawmakers will debate the repeal measure on April 3, or three days after the deadline set for the activists to submit the declarations.

The development now leaves the activists vulnerable to pressure from law enforcement agencies, complicating and delaying investigations into government corruption.

“Civil society has been doing an important and courageous work and must be able to play its proper role without undue obstacles and interference,” Hahn said.

Massive corruption in the government is believed to be the key problem slowing down Ukraine’s economic growth. The International Monetary Fund, the U.S. and the European Union have all put pressure on the country to force it tackle the high-level corruption.

The pressure led to legislation that had required thousands of government officials and politicians, such as lawmakers, to declare their wealth in an electronic form that can be easily viewed and controlled by the public.

The legislation showed that vast majority of officials and politicians declaring large amounts of cash stashed at home or in banks.

The revelations led to criticism and increased scrutiny of the officials, and that forced lawmakers to react by quickly amending the legislation to require also civic activists submit same declarations of assets.

The amendment was apparently designed to make it harder for the activists to expose corruption by potentially making them targets of investigations by law enforcements.

The EU also harshly criticized the amendment.

“The purpose of the asset declaration system is to help prevent corruption by public officials by exposing potentially unjustified wealth of public officials,” Hahn said.

“Civil society members are not public officials and imposing asset declarations upon them only puts unacceptable and undue burden and pressure on them and will play into the hands of those keen to destroy Ukraine’s efforts to fight corruption effectively,” Hahn said. (tl/ez)